Henry VIII

William Shakespeare's Henry VIII is a compelling history play, recreating a crucial moment in the Tudor dynasty, and the events that marked the beginning of the English Reformation. This Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited by A.R. Humphreys, with an introduction by C.M.S. Alexander.

'O, how wretched

Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!'

Conspiracies and intrigue are rife in the court of Henry VIII as the Duke of Buckingham is executed for treason, having been tricked by his enemy Cardinal Wolsey. And when the King falls in love with Anne Boleyn and decides to divorce his wife, Katherine of Aragon, he causes an irrevocable rift with the Catholic Church. After the King's secret marriage to Anne, courtiers fall in and out of favour and deaths abound, with far-reaching consequences.

This book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to Henry VIII, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen, and a commentary.

If you enjoyed Henry VIII, you might like Richard II, also available in Penguin Shakespeare.

'If we wish to know the force of human genius we should read Shakespeare'

William Hazlitt